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October 21, 2015

With Maine’s moose hunt nearing an end, I want to share some of my favorite moose memories and photos. Growing up in northern Maine provided me with certain privileges that city friends can’t imagine, like seeing moose on a daily basis. Most friends in southern Maine or Boston only dream of spotting a moose. Before I left for college, our family home was surrounded by potato and broccoli fields. Fall’s frost would bring large groups of moose to the field to slowly graze on leftover, frozen broccoli stems. I distinctly remember watching for hours from the patio door as steam rolled from the mouths of over 20 moose as they geared up for a long winter. I’ve watched moose swim across a quarter-mile river bend and recall that, as winter fell, I’d find the discarded racks of moose in the woods on my snowmobile. If you’re lucky you’d find a matching set from the same moose. Growing up in northern Maine was truly a treasure. And irreplaceable.

Summers are meant for exploring rivers by canoe and soaking up the sun. These adventures bring you into the heart of Maine’s countryside, where the landscape feels untouched by modern man. Here is the place where moose seem unfazed by human presence, staring at you with unfrightened, inquisitive eyes. The feeling is usually mutual, unless it’s 4 a.m. and you wake up inside your two-man tent to the thrashing of hooves as two moose stomp past. Unzipping your tent and finding hoof prints within feet of your tent makes you feel lucky and it’s a better wake-up call than coffee or any form of caffeine.

No matter where you grew up or the adventures you’ve endured, outlasted or barely recall, some of my fondest memories are wrapped up in the thick woods of Maine. If you grew up as I did, you love recalling those moments that you enjoyed the unadulterated beauty of nature in its purest form. If you’ve been on explorations like I have, you can appreciate the natural surroundings of our state. If you’ve never experienced any of this, you need to follow a few careful words: Get out, explore and respect nature.